Communications expert labels text marketing effective

A communications expert has cited SMS marketing as an “effective” tool.

Jason Keith, who is communications manager for computer software company Nuance, says in a blogpost on boston.com that companies need to decide whether the gamble of text message marketing will pay off for their business.

It isn’t just him who believes in the power of text message marketing, however, as according to a recent study published on snapgiant.com, 16 per cent of smartphone users have made a purchase due to a marketing message they received on their phone.

The statistics also showed that 90 per cent of text message were read within the first three minutes of being delivered and that mobile advertising performed four to five times better than online advertisements did.

It is thought that SMS marketing texts are so successful as people tend to use text message services on their phones several times a day.

Mr Keith did warn that some potential customers may find the method “alienating”, though – but using it in the right way could negate the chances of this happening.

He writes: “What any small business will have to weigh is whether or not the risk of annoying or alienating a customer is worth the potential revenues that will be generated as a result. Much like email, there’s a fine line between being promotional and effective and being overly aggressive.”

Mr Keith added that businesses should conduct a process of measuring and testing text message marketing to ensure it is right for their business.